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Florida residents rally to save Topsail Hill Preserve State Park from development, urge state to 'back off'

FDEP's Great Outdoor's Initiative looks to put a 350 room lodging center, up to four pickleball courts, and a disc golf course.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is on the list of Florida state parks that would face the addition of a lodge and pickleball courts, much to the dismay of residents.

By: Kate Hussey

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WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — One of the eight Florida state parks most impacted by the Great Outdoors Initiative is Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in the Florida Panhandle.

It's one of only five places in the world with coastal, freshwater dune lakes.

The state's proposal includes constructing a 350-room hotel, up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course near park wetlands. Residents aren't happy.

"Save our parks! Save our parks!" chanted dozens of Walton County residents who gathered at the park Tuesday.

WPTV sent WPTV reporter Kate Hussey to Walton County to hear their concerns as outrage over the initiative builds across Florida.

Hussey reached out to a few people on Facebook, asking if they'd be willing to share their concerns about development in Topsail Hill. Her post was shared nearly 250 times, and the response was overwhelming— so much so that park rangers feared they’d have to shut the park down if it reached maximum capacity.

Dave Rauschkolb was among the protesters who don't want changes to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

"Call the governor and say no!" chanted one resident. "NO!" echoed others.

From its crystal clear ocean waters, hills of fine, white sand and the rare coastal dunes, WPTV found that Topsail Hill is truly is a place of paradise.

Residents passionately told us they don't want the park to change.

"I would think that this is just a no-brainer for the governor here," Dave Rauschkolb, the founder and vice president of Florida Beaches for All, said. "They should just completely back off."

"I care about our environment here. I'm really concerned that the Department of Environmental Protection would consider robbing us and not protecting our environment here," added mother and activist Julie Heffner.

Aside from their concern about the wildlife, residents also fear their last piece of undeveloped land will disappear.

Like South Florida, Walton County is developing quickly. Take a short drive down State Road 30A, a 24-mile scenic highway that hugs the coastline through the county, you'll see home after home converted into what residents call "mini-hotels."

Tom Cordi discusses the surge of growth occurring in the Florida Panhandle.

"If you look right and you look left, you're going to see development everywhere, this is the one sanctuary we have left," Tom Cordi said.

The park already has about 200 lodging sites, between bungalows, cabins, RV and campsites.

"It is not something that is needed," Celeste Cobena of Beach to Bay Connection Inc. said

Additionally, when House Bill 631 passed, which allowed coastal homeowners to privatize their beachfront, access to the beach has been slipping away.

Walton County faced a lawsuit over this very issue, and residents said they would much rather see the state add additional beach access instead of paving over protected land.

Marjorie Levy says there are other things the state can do to attract visitors to state parks besides the proposed changes.

"There's so much more that they could do if they want to bring out more people, and it just doesn't need to be done and destroyed by a big hotel," Marjorie Levy said.

FDEP, said on the social media platform X, that changes at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park would "avoid critical habitat" and an earlier FDEP statement told WPTV all proposed changes would be done "sustainably."

However, resident after resident told WPTV that they're not so sure.

"So 350 units mean they're going to have up to 2,000 plus people, so where's the parking going to go?" said former Friends of Topsail Hill member, Shelley Reifschneider.

Shelley Reifschneider outlines why the proposed changes to Topsail Hill will reduce the quality of the preserve.

"There's a time when you need to back off, and I think this is it," Rauschkolb said.

Some residents said they might be open to a state proposal for more campsites with minimal environmental impact since many of the current lodging sites book up quickly during the summer months.

However, the residents that WPTV spoke to said they're staunchly opposed to the current proposition.

Read more of WPTV's coverage of the state's proposal and protests below: